AP Photo/Mark Duncan
Damon Jones, a Galveston native who went on to play basketball for the University of Houston and in the NBA, has been charged in large-scale illegal gambling schemes, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Jones, 49, is one of 34 people indicted across two different cases — one focused on sports betting, the other on fixed illegal poker games backed by Mafia families. Jones is one of three people affiliated with both cases, according to prosecutors.
“While the cases are separate, there are three overlapping defendants charged in both cases: Damon Jones, Eric Earnest and Shane Hennen,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said during a news conference.
Jones , who starred at Galveston Ball High School, played for the University of Houston between 1994-1997 as a combo